Chapter 307 Wounded
Sun Zheng glanced at the frenzied refugees, then at Jiang Huan, gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and shouted, "Listen to my command, sheath your weapons, distribute the rations, and gather them together!"
Although the guards were puzzled, they obeyed the order and carried it out immediately.
Soon, a pile of flatbreads and dried meat was placed on the open ground in front of the convoy.
The aroma of the food aroused the refugees, who instantly became agitated and rushed forward almost uncontrollably.
"Don't come any closer! Anyone who dares to steal my things, I'll chop them up!"
"Pah! I'm about to starve to death, I'm not afraid of you!"
"......"
These refugees had completely lost their minds, brandishing machetes at each other and shouting insults.
In that brief moment, Jiang Huan immediately whispered to Sun Zheng, "Quick! Take advantage of this time, move the convoy forward slowly to break contact, don't run, so as not to provoke them!"
Sun Zheng understood Jiang Huan's intention and secretly praised her quick wit and courage.
He immediately gave a hand signal, and the convoy began to move slowly, maintaining a defensive formation, gradually breaking away from the refugees' encirclement.
The refugees were busy scrambling for food. Although some noticed the caravan moving, they were too engrossed in the fighting to escape the crowd.
The convoy made it off the road without incident, leaving the frenzied vagrants behind.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the guards looked at Jiang Huan with admiration.
Sun Zheng clasped his hands in a fist and said sincerely, "Madam remained calm and handled the situation well. I admire you. If it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't have been able to escape."
Jiang Huan shook her head, her face not looking good. She glanced back at that spot, her heart heavy.
The caravan shook off the entanglements of the refugees and continued its journey on the rugged road.
The atmosphere was even more tense than before, and the guards' expressions became increasingly vigilant.
In order to travel as quickly as possible, the convoy often had to cross some wilderness areas that were not roads.
That afternoon, in order to avoid an area where enemy cavalry might be present, Sun Zheng decided to cross a dry riverbed.
The carriage bounced violently on the uneven cobblestones, creaking and groaning as if it might fall apart at any moment.
Jiang Huan gripped the edge of the car window tightly, trying to steady herself.
A violent jolt suddenly came, and she lost her grip, her body was thrown up and down hard, her elbow slamming against a sharp corner of the carriage wall.
"Ugh!" A sharp pain shot through her elbow, causing her to groan involuntarily, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.
After finally navigating the most difficult stretch of riverbed and slowing down a bit, Jiang Huan grimaced as she raised her arm. Her elbow was bruised and purple, with a large patch of skin torn open and bleeding.
"Madam, are you alright?" Sun Zheng's concerned voice came from outside the car window; he seemed to have heard the commotion earlier.
Jiang Huan quickly lowered her sleeves, trying to make her voice sound steady.
"It's nothing, it just bounced a bit."
She looked down at her injured elbow, and her first instinct was to reach for the bottle of hemostatic and tissue-regenerating powder that He Ling had given her.
This stuff is sure to work well; after using it, you might not even have a scar tomorrow.
But when her fingers touched the cold porcelain bottle, she hesitated.
Is it a waste of resources to use the medicine I painstakingly redeemed from the store to treat this kind of injury?
Moreover, the situation in the north is unknown, and Huo Lin's fate is uncertain. This medicine may be of great use in a more critical moment.
Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth and stuffed the porcelain bottle back into the depths of her bag.
"Captain Sun," she said, lifting the carriage curtain, "could we stop for a moment?"
Sun Zheng reined in his horse, signaling the convoy to stop.
"Madam, what are your orders?"
Jiang Huan stretched out her injured arm somewhat embarrassedly: "I accidentally bumped into something just now and wanted to get it bandaged up to avoid infection."
When Sun Zheng saw the shocking wound on her elbow, his brows immediately furrowed, and a hint of self-reproach flashed in his eyes: "It was my dereliction of duty that caused Madam's injury. I will have someone fetch some clean water and medicine right away."
"It's not your fault, it's common for the road to be difficult." Jiang Huan shook her head. "It was my own fault for not sitting properly."
Soon, a guard brought over a water pouch and ointment.
Sun Zheng gestured to one of his accompanying guards, who knew some medical skills, to come and help with the treatment.
The guard skillfully washed away the blood and grime from the wound with water, then scooped out a small piece of ointment and applied it evenly to the injury.
The ointment stung the broken skin, and Jiang Huan couldn't help but gasp, but she stubbornly held back her cry.
"Please bear with it, Madam. This ointment can prevent ulceration, but it's a little irritating when you first apply it," the guard whispered.
Although the injury wasn't serious, the sensation upon contact with the ointment was quite unpleasant.
This empress was truly different from the delicate and fragile flowers he had imagined in the deep palace.
After applying the ointment, the guard carefully bandaged her elbow with clean gauze and tied a tight knot.
"Alright, Madam, be careful not to get it wet these next two days, and change the dressing on time. It should scab over soon," the guard instructed.
"Thank you." Jiang Huan moved her arm and felt that it was indeed much better after being bandaged. Although it still hurt a little when she moved it, at least the wound was protected.
Sun Zheng, who had been watching from the side, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this: "Madam, would you like to rest for a while longer?"
“No need,” Jiang Huan lowered her sleeve to cover the bandage marks, her tone firm, “It’s just a minor injury, it’s nothing serious, we need to get going.”
She sat back in the carriage, and the caravan started moving again.
The bumpy ride continued, and the pain in her elbows reminded Jiang Huan of what had just happened, but she felt inexplicably more at ease.
This minor injury is nothing compared to the danger Huo Lin might face.
She could endure it, and she had to endure it.
She chose this path herself, and no matter how difficult or painful it is, she will continue down it.
She touched the life-saving items in her arms; they were safely and securely inside the bundle.
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